Technical Field
The present invention relates to a control apparatus of a vehicle for causing an own vehicle to travel following a preceding vehicle by using information on the preceding vehicle received through a wireless communication.
Description of the Related Art
In JP 2015-51716 A, there is described a control apparatus of a vehicle for controlling an acceleration of an own vehicle to cause the own vehicle to travel following a preceding vehicle on the basis of information on an acceleration of the preceding vehicle received through a wireless communication. Hereinafter, this control apparatus will be referred to as “the conventional apparatus”.
The conventional apparatus includes an own vehicle sensor such as a millimeter wave radar. The own vehicle sensor outputs an output wave ahead of the own vehicle and when a preceding vehicle, which is a vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle, exists, the own vehicle sensor receives a wave reflected by the preceding vehicle. The conventional apparatus acquires a distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle (hereinafter, this distance will be referred to as “the inter-vehicle distance”) on the basis of the wave reflected by the preceding vehicle and received by the own vehicle sensor. Further, the conventional apparatus acquires a speed of the own vehicle (hereinafter, this speed will be referred to as “the own vehicle speed”). In addition, the conventional apparatus acquires preceding vehicle acceleration information on the acceleration of the preceding vehicle from the preceding vehicle via a wireless communication.
The conventional apparatus acquires an inter-vehicle time by dividing the acquired inter-vehicle distance by the acquired own vehicle speed and calculates a feedback requested acceleration which is an acceleration of the own vehicle requested for causing the inter-vehicle time to correspond to a target inter-vehicle time corresponding to a target value of the inter-vehicle time on the basis of a difference between the inter-vehicle time and the target inter-vehicle time. Further, the conventional apparatus calculates a feedforward requested acceleration which is an acceleration of the own vehicle requested for causing the own vehicle to travel following the preceding vehicle on the basis of the acquired preceding vehicle acceleration information.
Lastly, the conventional apparatus sets a total value of the feedback requested acceleration and the feedforward requested acceleration as a requested acceleration of the own vehicle and accelerates or decelerates the own vehicle to achieve the requested acceleration.